Zimbabwe Nurses Announce Three-Day Strike Set for 20–22 April Over Pay and Working Conditions

[Yesha]

Headline​

Nurses Announce Three-Day Strike Set for 20–22 April Over Pay and Working Conditions

News Report (International Audience)​

Nurses have announced a three-day nationwide strike scheduled for 20 to 22 April, escalating long-standing disputes over salaries, staffing shortages, and working conditions in the public health sector.

The planned industrial action is expected to affect government hospitals and clinics across the country, with unions warning of significant disruptions to healthcare services if no agreement is reached before the start of the strike.

The nurses’ representatives say the decision follows repeated, unsuccessful engagements with authorities over what they describe as deteriorating pay levels, rising living costs, and critical shortages of staff and medical supplies.

In a formal communication outlining the action, the nurses’ union stressed that the strike is a last resort after prolonged efforts to resolve grievances through dialogue.

“We have engaged the employer on numerous occasions without meaningful progress. This action is taken reluctantly after exhausting all avenues of negotiation,” the union stated in its notice to authorities.

Key demands include a review of salaries in line with inflation, improved working conditions in public health facilities, recruitment of additional staff to ease workload pressures, and resolution of delays and inconsistencies in salary payments.

Health authorities have not yet issued a comprehensive public response, though previous negotiations between the two sides have stalled without a final agreement.

The planned strike adds further strain to an already overburdened public healthcare system, where professionals have repeatedly raised concerns about burnout and declining service delivery.

Authorities are expected to continue engagements with union leaders in an effort to avert or minimise disruptions before the action begins.